A former businessman who sent a “disgraceful, unacceptable racist rant” to England manager Gareth Southgate has been handed a ban.

Brian Harold Martin attacked Mr Southgate, black members of the England team and the Black Lives Matter movement in a lengthy email sent minutes after the final whistle in England’s Nations League defeat to Hungary in June, York Magistrates' Court heard.

He also criticised the team’s practice of taking the knee before matches.

Melanie Ibbotson, prosecuting, said the email was read by Mr Southgate’ personal assistant and forwarded through the FA’s security department to police.

Sentencing Martin, district judge Adrian Lower said the email was addressed to “Dear Gareth Wokegate” and was not a constructive criticism of the England defeat that had concluded just before it was sent.

“What did follow was a disgraceful, unacceptable racist rant,” he said. Martin’s words had caused “substantial harm”.

He was sure that Mr Southgate, even if he had not received the email directly, was aware of its contents.

“Racism has no part in our diverse society,” he told Martin. “The language you used was deeply hurtful to many people.”

The judge banned Martin from contacting anyone who is part of the English Football Association in any way for the next two years and warned Martin that if he breaks the ban he could be jailed.

He also ordered him to do 200 hours’ unpaid work as part of a two-year community order and pay a £120 fine, a £95 statutory surcharge and £620 prosecution costs.

Martin, 56, of Charles Street, Selby, denied sending a grossly offensive email, but was convicted after a trial.

He represented himself when he appeared before the court for sentence, and said: “I resent deeply being described as a racist."

He claimed: “I consider I have not been treated fairly in the legal process. This has been a grievous abuse of my rights from day one. My human rights have been broken, my civil rights have been broken, my legal rights have been broken.”

Without presenting any evidence he made an accusation about the conduct of the prosecution during his trial and accused probation officers who prepared a pre-sentence report for the court as doing a “nasty, pre-meditated hatchet job”.

The judge told him: “It is clear from the report and from what you have told me you have no or little insight into how offensive you have been, and you show no remorse for what you have done.”

York Magistrates' Court heard that the email contained insulting descriptions of members of the England men’s football team, which Martin called “Team Snowflake”, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

He wrote that the team didn’t represent him or England.

Martin said he had run a business, but it had folded after he started it “at the wrong time”.

He now lives on universal credit and the income from repair and maintenance jobs he does.